REAL STEEL HISTORY:The SR-25, or Stoner Rifle 25, is a semi-automatic sniper rifle designed by Eugene Stoner and manufactured by Knight’s Armament. It is essentially a larger M16 that fires the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge making it an excellent long-range weapon. In 2005, the US Army adopted the SR-25, designated the M110, as their sniper system of choice and today it is slowly phasing out the long used M40 bolt-action rifle. It has near the accuracy and power of the M40 but can fire at a much higher rate due to it being semi-automatic. It is popular amongst US Army snipers and many civilian shooters for its lethality.

EXTERNALS:The stock is a thick ABS with light texturing. There is a barely noticeable seam on the top but it’s not nearly as bad as I’ve seen on some other guns, even my VFC. It is able to hold a very large battery and there is a metal sling loop on the bottom. The butt is made of metal but the trap door is impossible to open without a screwdriver. The body is where this gun shines. At first I believed it was either stamped or machined steel, as the finish is seamless and tough. Upon further research (aka talking to someone) it is casted zinc. It is finished with a semi-glossy black paint that is scratched quite easily. Unfortunately, there’s no trademarks like the Classic Army and G&P models. The fire selector can go to safe, semi, and full auto. To stay true to the real, semi-auto only SR-25, it has a stop that will block full auto use if you install and standard M4 fire selector. The pistol grip is a standard M4 grip with decent plastic. It has a metal heat sink. The magazine is steel and holds ~500 BBs, plenty for a designated marksman’s role. On the front you’ll find a 12in free floating rail system for attaching any optics, bi-pods, PEQ boxes etc. It is held in place by a delta ring and mock gas tube. There is zero wobble and it is crafted like the receivers. The barrel is 20in long, the same as an M16 and lacks threads. However, you do receive an SR-25-style quick detach suppressor that adds an intimidating look. On the top, you’ll find standard pictinny rails that you can mount any scope on. Included are removable flip up front and rear sights. Both are fully adjustable. This external quality of this gun is very impressive for it’s low cost.

External Rating: 7.5/10

INTERNALS:The internals of this weapon are what make it one of the most sought after guns on the market. Starting with the barrel assembly, you get a standard 509mm brass barrel which ends is at the very edge of the unsupressed gun. The quality is good enough to use for good accuracy out of the box and the large window makes it a good base for flat and R-hop mods. It is not crowned and there was a little bit of orange paint in the end of the barrel. The hop-up unit itself is made of metal and the wheels click nicely into place. The stock bucking is an SR-25/M249 type. Unfortunately, I couldn’t test the performance of the stock bucking as it ripped upon pulling out the barrel. The previous owner did not keep his bucking moist. The bucking can be changed to any standard AEG one. The nub is a soft, silicon-like material that was fine. Moving to the motor, it is a VERY strong neodymium motor that I believe is a JG M42. The pinion is a D-type and very strong steel. This is better than many of the upgrade motors on the market and I advise you not to replace it. The wires are a decent 18-gauge set-up connected to a 20amp fuse and small type Tamiya connector. Now for the gearbox. It is an elongated version 2 gearbox cloned from the Classic Army CA-25. It is larger than a standard gearbox as it has an elongated cylinder assembly. More on that later. The shell is casted metal with a bit of reinforcement on the front. It is fitted with 6mm steel bushings. Inside, the parts are superb. Firstly, a steel bearing spring guide is included and the spring is around an M130. The A&K gears are very strong and can take quite a heavy spring. The sector gear is a special type for the elongated setup. It has more teeth to accommodate for the longer piston. The piston is a decent nylon. It has 18 teeth as the second one has been removed. Something to note that it has been partially swiss cheesed at the factory. Attached is a ported nylon piston head. It is of good quality but there are no bearings or washers, just a screw. The cylinder head and air nozzle are of the same plastic and make a very good seal. The assembly is finished with a long type non-ported chrome cylinder. The entire upper assembly makes a near perfect airseal on par with my VFC. There is no reason to replace this set-up. This elongated assembly is great for a designated marksmen’s role as the greater volume of air being pushed out gives you a boost in the ability to fire heavier BBs at greater ranges. As usual with ACM gearboxes, the shimming and greasing were below par. With a 9.6v, the motor pulled the spring with ease. This gearbox is truly a great piece for its great price.

Internal Rating: 8.5/10

PERFORMANCE:I do not have any personal performance numbers as I immediately modified the gun. These numbers were taken from XavierMace’s review on Airsoft Retreat.

“From a proper prone position using a bipod, I would easily expect the gun to be well under 2" groupings from 75'. Velocity wise, the gun also performed well with an average velocity of 448 fps with Airsplat .20g BB's. If you are looking to make a nice DMR, I would highly recommend considering the A&K SR-25 for the base gun.”

Cons:Needs internal tuning out of the boxPaint in barrelOnly takes SR-25 magsDecently heavy

Final Verdict:8/10

This gun is a fantastic base for those looking to play in a long-range role. It has a very intimidating look and performs great, even if it could use a quick tune-up. If you’re looking to be a designated marksmen, this IS the gun to get.

I also did basic tuning such as reshim, regrease, teflon tape cylinder head, stretch O-ring, flat-hop etc. With preliminary testing with WE .36g BBs, this gun is very accurate. I have yet to complete tuning but it is a very promising build.